Five young orangutans were found in a forest in eastern India, thousands of kilometers from their natural habitat, prompting an investigation into possible cases of illegal wildlife trade.
The animals were spotted by public observers in a forest near Ranakata, in the Balasore district of Odisha state, close to the border with West Bengal. According to the BBC, forest officials believe the animals had been in the area for only a few days.
It is important to note that orangutans are not native to India; these critically endangered great apes naturally inhabit the tropical forests of Indonesia and Malaysia.
The five individuals were seen together on the forest floor and subsequently rescued by local forest staff. They received first aid before being transported to the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar, where they are undergoing quarantine and observation.
Pratik Prakash Indalkar, the Director of the Balasore district forest, told the BBC that the orangutans could not have reached this location on their own. The forest where they were found mainly consists of casuarina trees, not dense tropical forest, and is located near a highway. Officials are investigating whether the animals were brought in via the road and abandoned there.
No other orangutans or any evidence explaining the animals' arrival were found during the search in the vicinity. This unusual discovery has raised concerns that the animals may have been brought to India as part of an international illegal wildlife trade operation.
Odisha authorities participated in the investigation, involving the Wildlife Crime Bureau of India, along with police, forest staff, and a special task force. The young age of the orangutans heightens concerns about their welfare, as young individuals typically spend several years with mothers learning foraging, forest navigation, and self-sufficiency skills.
The discovery of five young animals together, without adult orangutans nearby, raises questions about their origin and how they ended up in Odisha. There are three recognized living species of orangutans: Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli, and all are classified as endangered. Their populations have been severely affected by habitat loss, deforestation, and poaching, while illegal wildlife trade remains another threat.
International commercial trade in orangutans is prohibited by CITES, a global agreement regulating the trade in endangered wild species. These animals are also protected under Indian law. Despite these protective measures, orangutans can be targeted by traders supplying the exotic pet market and private collectors.
This is not the first case of young orangutans being found in India. In 2022, two orangutan infants were found abandoned at a checkpoint near the border between Assam and Mizoram. Authorities suspected they were brought from neighboring Myanmar. The five orangutans rescued in Odisha will remain under observation while authorities determine how they ended up so far from their natural habitat.